What do you think?
Rate this book
Mrs. Perkins's Ball
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 - 1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. He is famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society. Thackeray began as a satirist and parodist, writing works that displayed a sneaking fondness for roguish upstarts such as Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair, and the title characters of The Luck of Barry Lyndon and Catherine. In his earliest works, written under such pseudonyms as Charles James Yellowplush, Michael Angelo Titmarsh and George Savage Fitz-Boodle, he tended towards savagery in his attacks on high society, military prowess, the institution of marriage and hypocrisy. In The Luck of Barry Lyndon, a novel serialised in Fraser's in 1844, Thackeray explored the situation of an outsider trying to achieve status in high society, a theme he developed more successfully in Vanity Fair with the character of Becky Sharp, the artist's daughter who rises nearly to the heights by manipulating the other characters. Thackeray is probably best known now for Vanity Fair. In contrast, his large novels from the period after Vanity Fair, which were once described by Henry James as examples of "loose baggy monsters", have largely faded from view, perhaps because they reflect a mellowing in Thackeray, who had become so successful with his satires on society that he seemed to lose his zest for attacking it. These later works include Pendennis, a Bildungsroman depicting the coming of age of Arthur Pendennis, an alter ego of Thackeray, who also features as the narrator of two later novels, The Newcomes and The Adventures of Philip. The Newcomes is noteworthy for its critical portrayal of the "marriage market," while Philip is known for its semi-autobiographical depiction of Thackeray's early life, in which he partially regains some of his early satirical power. Also notable among the later novels is The History of Henry Esmond, in which Thackeray tried to write a novel in the style of the eighteenth century, a period that held great appeal for him. Not only Esmond but also Barry Lyndon and Catherine are set in that period, as is the sequel to Esmond, The Virginians, which takes place in North America and includes George Washington as a character who nearly kills one of the protagonists in a duel.
40 pages, Paperback
Published December 13, 2015
12 people want to read
About the author
William Makepeace Thackeray
4,484 books1,343 followersWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist, satirist, and journalist, best known for his keen social commentary and his novel Vanity Fair (1847–1848). His works often explored themes of ambition, hypocrisy, and the moral failings of British society, making him one of the most significant literary figures of the Victorian era.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 31, 2023
Mrs. Perkins's Ball is a short work by William Makepeace Thackeray. It is considered one of his Christmas books but for little reason.
The story is disappointing. From the beginning, we are brought to think that "the Mulligan" is going to be a major character in the work. The dichotomy created by Thackeray, in which our sensible but weak narrator and his insensible Irish friend "the Mulligan" are played one against the other, and both against everyone else, is thereby lost. What follows from this severe disappointment is a series of extremely short sketches of everyone who attends the Perkins's ball. These sketches are humorous and disillusioned, filled with sarcasm and--dare I say it?--minor notations of sentimentality; each also has one or two illustrations, drawn by Thackeray himself, giving an added dimension to the narrative.
Many of the jokes contained within the volume have not aged considerably well. For example, "Lady Bacon, the Miss Bacons, Mr. Flam" is makes fun of Lady Bacon. In short, Mr. Flam asks Lady Bacon to dance. When she declines (a decline for form rather than substance), he asks if the other seven ladies are her famed sisters. She, of course, says that they are her daughters! He leaves. One can see the dig that Thackeray intends on Lady Bacon (right down to the name, pigs generally having numerous children); it is not particularly pleasant.
The sketches about Mr. Hicks and Miss Bunion suffer from the same fate. Miss Bunion, the author of numerous love poems, is an old and unmarried woman; she is old, she is ugly, and she eats a lot; in short, her life is exactly opposite the one which she depicts in writing. In Pendennis he puts on display a similar woman in his famous chapter on the literati. In my mind, I think he must be linking these women up with the working class, for his thoughts on the literary mind were more "we do it for our bread" than "we do it for our art". Mr. Hicks is displayed as a rival poet, but--if she is more mannish--he is more woman. Thackeray's comment that the woman watching him is often called "Ianthe" is all too telling. Ianthe, of course, married Iphis, who Isis changed from female to male.
In fact, the main humor that comes from the work--"the Mulligan" himself--has not aged particularly well. He is an drunken Irishman, fond far too much of his booze; he is a robber, and imposes himself upon all his friends; he takes pride in his heritage, even as it is all lies or humbug; and his ego is such that, when he does lie, one can never quite tell if he is delusional or earnestly trying to deceive. Our protagonist allows this, viewing him somewhat as the family cat. In essence: If a handkerchief goes missing, he knows who stole it, yet he never makes Mulligan leave. One can only say that the Mulligan is a stereotype, one very common to Thackeray's prose. In this work, the saddest part about the Mulligan, however, is how little used he is. He has the potential to destroy the party--to make all the prime and proper persons become flustered, to, as we modernly would say, allow for much satirical breadth--and Thackeray doesn't do it!
In some sense, the themes which can be derived from the book--the "why did I read this?" that must be asked when we come to the end of it--are merely encapsulated in the Mulligan. So much of the party is merely fluff, just as he is. Many are there in vain, desiring most of all to be called upon; many are there in false hope or, as in the case of Miss Trotter, what is probably false love; and many are there is mean rogues. One is there--Mr. Larkins--because he loves to dance, but he is mocked out of the room by Thackeray for his simplicity (though, to answer Mr. Thackeray's indecision, I think that we can say he is rather to be admired than deplored). Are not all these people Mulligan without the impetuosity, in all ways capable of being seen as anything other than foible-filled nincompoops? It seems so to me, and perhaps that is the point of the party.
This book was great. Thackeray is a pleasure, and the taste of old humor is always interesting. I loved the illustrations.
The story is disappointing. From the beginning, we are brought to think that "the Mulligan" is going to be a major character in the work. The dichotomy created by Thackeray, in which our sensible but weak narrator and his insensible Irish friend "the Mulligan" are played one against the other, and both against everyone else, is thereby lost. What follows from this severe disappointment is a series of extremely short sketches of everyone who attends the Perkins's ball. These sketches are humorous and disillusioned, filled with sarcasm and--dare I say it?--minor notations of sentimentality; each also has one or two illustrations, drawn by Thackeray himself, giving an added dimension to the narrative.
Many of the jokes contained within the volume have not aged considerably well. For example, "Lady Bacon, the Miss Bacons, Mr. Flam" is makes fun of Lady Bacon. In short, Mr. Flam asks Lady Bacon to dance. When she declines (a decline for form rather than substance), he asks if the other seven ladies are her famed sisters. She, of course, says that they are her daughters! He leaves. One can see the dig that Thackeray intends on Lady Bacon (right down to the name, pigs generally having numerous children); it is not particularly pleasant.
The sketches about Mr. Hicks and Miss Bunion suffer from the same fate. Miss Bunion, the author of numerous love poems, is an old and unmarried woman; she is old, she is ugly, and she eats a lot; in short, her life is exactly opposite the one which she depicts in writing. In Pendennis he puts on display a similar woman in his famous chapter on the literati. In my mind, I think he must be linking these women up with the working class, for his thoughts on the literary mind were more "we do it for our bread" than "we do it for our art". Mr. Hicks is displayed as a rival poet, but--if she is more mannish--he is more woman. Thackeray's comment that the woman watching him is often called "Ianthe" is all too telling. Ianthe, of course, married Iphis, who Isis changed from female to male.
In fact, the main humor that comes from the work--"the Mulligan" himself--has not aged particularly well. He is an drunken Irishman, fond far too much of his booze; he is a robber, and imposes himself upon all his friends; he takes pride in his heritage, even as it is all lies or humbug; and his ego is such that, when he does lie, one can never quite tell if he is delusional or earnestly trying to deceive. Our protagonist allows this, viewing him somewhat as the family cat. In essence: If a handkerchief goes missing, he knows who stole it, yet he never makes Mulligan leave. One can only say that the Mulligan is a stereotype, one very common to Thackeray's prose. In this work, the saddest part about the Mulligan, however, is how little used he is. He has the potential to destroy the party--to make all the prime and proper persons become flustered, to, as we modernly would say, allow for much satirical breadth--and Thackeray doesn't do it!
In some sense, the themes which can be derived from the book--the "why did I read this?" that must be asked when we come to the end of it--are merely encapsulated in the Mulligan. So much of the party is merely fluff, just as he is. Many are there in vain, desiring most of all to be called upon; many are there in false hope or, as in the case of Miss Trotter, what is probably false love; and many are there is mean rogues. One is there--Mr. Larkins--because he loves to dance, but he is mocked out of the room by Thackeray for his simplicity (though, to answer Mr. Thackeray's indecision, I think that we can say he is rather to be admired than deplored). Are not all these people Mulligan without the impetuosity, in all ways capable of being seen as anything other than foible-filled nincompoops? It seems so to me, and perhaps that is the point of the party.
This book was great. Thackeray is a pleasure, and the taste of old humor is always interesting. I loved the illustrations.
Displaying 1 of 1 review